But honestly it was still more difficult to turn over even with the rod caps loosened, than i think it really should be... but i am trying to be optimistic.
With the cap backwards, it will still drag. Loosening it just points you in the right direction. Also, turning an engine with loose caps can increase the torque to do so.
Identify the offending cap and pop new bearings in it - I bet it gets closer to 'normal' after that.
There's a lot of reasons an engine can be tough to turn over that will account for differences between your engine and one on the floor. Just having the heads on and sparkplugs in will make it tougher to turn than a shortblock. I wouldn't worry so much, just fix the obvious issue and let 'er rip.